Reloading new and used casings is well known. Reloading typically involves sizing the casing, trimming the sized casing to length, and then cleaning the casing. A primer is then installed in the casing. The reloader will measure a quantity of propellant (commonly called powder or gun powder, and herein referred to as powder) either by weight or volume and deposit it in the casing. A bullet is then seated into the open mouth of the casing.
For higher quality and typically more accurate and precise reloads, the powder is weighed for each charge of powder. Weighing is done in grains of weight, with there being 7000 grains in a pound. Weighing of powder is done with 0.1 grain or finer distinction. Two types of scales are used, a balance beam (mechanical) scale and an electronic scale. Some reloaders use automatic systems like Lock-N-Load® Auto Charge® made by Hornady, and some use manual systems that can take various forms. One manual system requires a large quantity of powder to be first deposited, as with a spoon or other measure, and then a final smaller quantity to be deposited with a manual trickier, for example a Lock-N-Load® Quick Trickle made by Hornady. Both systems are effective; however, the manual powder measuring system is slow and often results in too much powder being deposited, requiring removal of some powder or starting over. Some powders are difficult to remove though. It is more common for a reloader to come up (adding powder) to achieve the correct weight than come down (removing powder) to achieve the correct weight. Thus, the reason for the use of a trickier is the ability to add a single piece of powder at a time. The amount of powder used in a hand loaded shell cartridge can range widely depending on the type of cartridge being produced. Powder weights range from 1.4 grains to 250 grains for a single cartridge. Additionally, the types of powders vary from ball (small spheres), thin circular flakes or wafers to extruded sticks (cylindrical) that are cut to length. Some powders, like the ball type, are difficult to handle and feed.